Their calls came as several schools, which earlier suspended classes and were used as temporary shelters for Wang Fuk Court evacuees at the height of the fire, resumed teaching through such means as online courses.
Speaking on RTHK’s Backchat programme, Mervyn Cheung, chairman of the Hong Kong Education Policy Concern Organisation, said students’ safety and mental well-being should “override” all other considerations for the time being.
“We need to quickly find out the vital emotional issues of students, as might be exhibited by students and even staff members,” he said.
“That should claim priority in all the efforts that are directed to address the grievances and problems arising from the Tai Po inferno.
“In the immediate emergency response phase, schools need to work with fire authorities to ensure campus safety while resuming classes, and crisis management mechanisms should be set in immediate functioning [modes].
“[Schools] should be manned by teachers and staff with training and experience in emergency response situations, and unobstructed communication channels should be put to work to provide regular updates for parents through multiple platforms.”
Cheung also called for authorities to look into the possibility of rearranging academic assessments in the current calendar year as such tests and other internal assessments are typically carried out in late December or in January among schools.
He also said it might be useful to have dedicated personnel communicate with students, teachers and school staff so that efforts can be better coordinated and arranged in a systematic way.
“I believe a specific spokesman should be appointed so that he or she can coordinate and communicate on all the vital and essential messages, and there won’t be any misunderstanding, or even rumours, to be involved in the process,” he said, warning that misinformation tend to spread in such crisis situations.
Quratulain Zaidi, a clinical psychologist at MindNLife Practice, noted that students’ responses to traumas and losses might “vary” as it depends on a child’s age, personality and the support received.
“But it’s quite normal to be going through shock, confusion, crying, clinginess, nightmares or having trouble with sleeping, sometimes even aggressive behaviours, especially from the younger children,” she said.
“All of those emotions are quite normal to be going through within the crisis that these children and families are facing.
“It’s important to be able to provide that support and just to be there [for them] consistently.”
Zaidi noted that it would be helpful for affected students to be surrounded by familiar figures and peers so that they might feel more at ease in expressing their feelings, adding that limitations on social media and media exposure would also be needed.
It is also vital, she said, to offer support for teachers and parents as the psychological impact of a tragedy like the inferno might also affect them.
“They are also going through very different emotions, and it’s so important that teachers and parents are able to, which is very difficult to do, to put in some self-care, and be able to reach out and get the right support, so that they are present to look after their children,” Zaidi said.
Compassion, she added, is also needed for those who suffer from so-called “survivor’s guilt”, which she noted is also quite common.
“There might be two emotions they might be feeling, which is the sense of release and sadness and guilt at the same time. It’s also important for them to be supported in realizing that you didn’t choose this,” Zaidi said.
